The Culinary Historians of Southern California are presenting a panel discussion and have extended an invitation to Slow Food members and friends to attend:

“When SoCal Went Ag: Past and Present Stories of Farming and Farmers’ Markets in Southern California”

When: Saturday, October 13, 2007, at 10:30amWhere: Los Angeles Public Library, Central Branch (630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles)Cost: Free and open to the public

Back in the day when southern California was prime agricultural land and The Los Angeles Times printed crop reports, Angelenos had local access to a wide array of fresh produce. We lost our way for awhile, but now there is renewed passion for crop diversity and connecting to the source, most often, for us city dwellers, by purchasing directly from the grower at farmers’ markets. What was available here one hundred and more years ago? What was, and is it like to be a farmer in southern California, and why and how did the current and booming certified farmers’ market system develop?

Join Amelia Saltsman, author of The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook; Molly Iwamoto Gean, a third-generation California farmer and co-owner of Harry’s Berries farm in Oxnard; and Laura Avery, Market Supervisor of the Santa Monica Farmers’ Markets, for a lively presentation followed by a reception and book signing including tastes from Molly’s farm and Amelia’s book.

Amelia Saltsman is the author of The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes, and Stories from the Market and Farm and editor of The Food Journal, the newsletter of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. Amelia serves on the California Certified Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee.

Molly Iwamoto Gean is a third-generation California farmer who comes from a long line of farmers in southern Japan. She is co-owner of Harry’s Berries farm in Oxnard, which sells exclusively at southern California farmers’ markets, and is president of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market Association.

Laura Avery, Market Supervisor of the Santa Monica Farmers’ Markets, has overseen the growth of the city’s market program since she began as the downtown market manager in 1982. She also serves as president of the Southland Farmers’ Market Association Board.

The Culinary Historians of Southern California is a not-for-profit organization that supports the culinary collections at the Los Angeles Public Library. For more information on the Culinary Historians of Southern California visit their website.